West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-07-14
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
1HE BROOKLYN OWN 5 SUN
DAY SERMON.
subject: Holding tho Rope" -
preached at Martha's
Vineyard.


DdS let dotcn by The IC0H III Cor XII 33
Sermons on Paul in jail, Paul on Mars Hill.
raul IN shipwrcck, Paul before the Sanhedrim
raul before Felix are plentiful but in my
text we have Paul in n basket Damascus is
city OF white and glistening architecture,
sometimes called the eye OF the East some
times called pearl surrounded by eneraltls.n
at one time distinguished for swords of
the best material, called Damascus blades,
and upholstery of richest fabric called
damaSks. horseman by the name oil
saul, riding toward this city had been
thrown from the saddle. The horse mad
dropped under a flash from the sky, which
at the same time so bright it blinded
the rider for many days, anil, / think so per
manently injured his eycsic hit that this dcicct
OF vision became the thorn i'm the flesh be
afterward speaks of. lie started for Dam1s-
chs TO butcher Christians. but after that hard
fall from his horse he was q changed man
and preached Christ i'm Damascus till tho city
was shaken TO its foundation.
The Mayor gives authority for his arrest
and the popular cry rs Kill himl hill him 'i
The city IS surrounded by a high wall and tho
gates are watched by the police lest tho
Cicilian preacher escape. MANY of the houses
were built on the wall and their balconies pro
lected clear over and lowered above the gar
dens outside. 1t was customary TO lower 6as-
kets out OF these balconies and pull up fruits
and flowers from the gardens To this dav
visitors at the monastery Mt Mount Sinai re
htted and let down in baskets Detectives
proMled around from house TO house looking
Tor raul, but his friends hid him, now in one
place, now in another He is no coward
as fifty incidents in his life de,
monstrates. But he feels his work
Is not done yet, and so he evades assassnn-
uon Is that preacher here IN the foam
ing mob shout at one house door Is that
anatlc here Z" the police shout at another
Iouse door. Sometimes on the street incog-
INTO nc passes through a crowd of clcnched
nsts and sometimes he secretes himself on
tho housetops AT last the infurinted
Populace get on sure track of him. They
nave positive evidence that he is i'm the
house of one of the Christians, the balcony
Oh whose home reaches over the wall
Here he is Here he isl" The
yociferation ard blasphemy and bowling of
the putsuers are at the front door They brSik
IN Fetch out that gospelizsr, and let us
hang MS head on the city gate. Where is he -
The emergency was terrible. Provilentially
there was good stout basket in the house
PauIs friends fasten rope to the basket
Paul steps into lit The basket is LITE To tbs
edge OF the balcony on tho wall, and then
while Paul holds on TO the rome with both
hands, his friends lower away, carefully and
cautiously, slowly but surely further down
ana further down, until the basket strikes
tine eurth and the apostle steps out, and afoot
ana alone starts on that famous missionary
tour, the story of which has astoni- he'd earth
and heaven. Appropriate entry in Pauls
ulaIy Oh u aNels; Through window in a
basket was let down bv tic wall"
Observe, first, on what a slender tenure
great results hang. The ropemalger who
twisted that cord fast,ned TO that lowering
basket never knew how much Yould dement,
upon the strength of It, How if it had been
broken and the apostles life had been dashed
QUIT What would have become OF the Chris
tan church, All that magnificent mission
airy work IN PamEhilia Cappadocia Galatia
macedonia would never have been accom-
pnsheI All his writings that make ND so
Indispensable and enchanting a part OF the
New Testament would never have been writ
ten. The story of resurrection would never
fol I. Oh e
mat example OF heroic and triumphant
endurance at Philippi in the Mediterranean
EIrociydon, under hageaation and at his
oeheading, would not hive kinJled the
courage OF ten thousand martyrdoms But
that rope holding that basket, how much Ge-
pended on it! So, again and again, great
results nave hung on what seemed slender
circumstances.
Did ever ship of many thousand tons cross
ing the sea have such important passenger as
had once boat Of leaves from tafftail 10
stern, only three or four feet, the vessel made
waterproof by a coat of bitlmen AMI no1t.
ing on the Nile with the infant law iver OF t,e
Jews ON board: What il some crocolile
should crunch it, What il some OF the cattle
Hadlng IN Tor drink should sink it, Ncsses
OF war sometimes carry forty GUNS LOOKING
through the port holes, read 10 open battle
But that tiny craft on the Milo seems to be
armed with all the guns of thunder that bon,
parued SINAI at tine lawgivng ON how
fragile craft sailed how much historical inn
portaucel
The parsonage at Epworth. ENGLAND *
on hTe III the night, and tie fntber rushed
tnF3nsh the hallway for the re cue os his
chliuren. Seven children are ont and s.fe on
the ground, but one remains i'm the cnIsur,ii,.,
building. That one wakes, AMI finding his
bed on fire and the building crum5liug comes
Sothe "ihiow' aud two peasants make adj
uer OF their bod IS, one peasant standing ON
the shoulder Of the other. and down lie linz
man ladder the boy dscenls-Johu Wesley
III you would know how much depcudel ON
I1athaIilt OF PEASANTS ask tha millions OF
metnodlsts on both sid.s OF the sen AK
thelr mission stations all arolnl t1e woril
ASK their hundreds Of thousands a frsq.lv ma.
cended 70 Join their founder. who would blye
shoulders.
An English hip stoppol at Pitcairn IsrnI
ana night an the midst of surrouu.iir .cI..r.
ballsm and squa'or th passenger m -,1te.,.
Christian colony Of thur.Los arI d. .I.
ana beautiful homes ami high 90 .f I.u|r. 81.
ION and civilization Tor ffty r..... .... ..r
slonary and no Christian influence ...f I... d.
theTe. Why this oasis or light au a.. l ....t
or hesthendOm, SiEty wears r.I.r 4
haq met disaster aud ONE ~ f., IA. .1.. u.
soie 70 save anything else vcut fH b.
trunk aud took out EIl.r un..
ms mother had ula e,i there and swan.
ashore, the Bible hell in bis teeth I.. f..f
was read on oll sides until the rough .nI
VICIOUS population wero evangelical. aud "a
church was started and an enlightened ,...i.
monWealth established. and Tire worlds
history has no more brilliant IN .c than that
which tells ri the trau-foruati0n of "a u4fIo<
by one book. 10 did not seem of ruult
Importance whether the sailor continued tg
hold the book in his teeth or lef it ftlf iu the
breakers, but upon what small sircun..tau,s
UeItnded what mighty reaitsi
fractcal inference. There ars mo- iuef~-
nlhcances in our lives The mIuute.t tlins Isl
part or magnitude. lnHuIty is made uu of
inhmtesimals 6rear Things ana ag,rayat i,u
or small things. Bethlehem munger Uil.ius,
on a star lu tle stern H.r On. TOOK fr Z
drenched sti,rs mouth tho eyau-oIll4f il1
Or multitude one bout Jf Uqpyrus o1 the
vile fFslghtel with events Tor aiIayas TUe
Inte or CnristenIon BOD basket .ef down
from window Du Che val. What you Do
~ WelL II sou make rope make t .tr1uz
~ true, Tor you know not how ma n
nay deDend ON your workmanship. II
.9u fashion a boat let 10 Boz vafergro,,,
lVI you Know not who may sail iu H. IL
you puJ Bible boo tIe trunk of yor- ioy as
ne goes from home. let 10 be- heard ip toJr
prayer Tor it may have % mission se f.r
featninE as Che book which OLD. ia. .or r.r. ...I
in ms teeth ~ the Pitcairn L.,.I Iba mann.
- mans life b an island between two af....-
lPIniiy past ripping against his
,npuldefsi etern tY ~ come tourlIuy Hi4
D5OW. The casual, the accidental. that
"hcn merely hap eueI s0 are parts 0f a
Bfeag plan, and tle IOue chat Iet. the fIeitfyo
apostle from tse Daruafue wall b. fbrraba
tnlt holds ~ lts HlDor.1y t.e .Hiu gf f.e
fnNrCn lu fNn uNffUrT.f ....|. r.| Gid. ..... ....